Thursday, September 24, 2009

Lenox Square Grill Announces Opening Date

Lenox Square Grill, the newest addition to the CentraArchy Restaurant Management family, announces its projected opening date of October 15, 2009. CentraArchy manages other popular restaurants in the Atlanta area including Tavern at Phipps, New York Prime, California Dreaming (located in Kennesaw and Duluth) and Joey D's Oak Room. The new restaurant will be located at Lenox Square Mall at the main entrance off Peachtree Road.

Lenox Square Grill will open as a full service restaurant offering breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Expect the atmosphere to be family friendly while also appealing to Atlanta's business diners for casual breakfast or lunch meetings. After work, enjoy the lively atmosphere during happy hour and beyond with signature cocktails at the bar.

Lenox Square Grill's menu will feature imaginative, yet traditional comfort foods. For breakfast, try the giant buttermilk biscuit with country ham, egg and cheese; the Lenox Omelet- a fluffy four egg omelet with turkey, bacon and Swiss; or the Challah French Toast - thick slices of Challah bread dipped in cinnamon batter, grilled golden and topped with powdered sugar. For lunch or dinner, enjoy one of the signature LG's Mac Skillets - Cajun Shrimp, Barbeque Chicken, or Cheeseburger - the creative side of their homemade macaroni and cheese; the Pot Roast Sandwich - tender beef pot roast, and a thin layer of mashed potatoes smothered with mushroom gravy stuffed in grilled French bread, or the Turkey sandwich, roasted daily and sliced off the frame with fresh lettuce, tomato, onion and melted Swiss on Rye. Each day, homemade side dishes will be offered along with fresh Ice Box Pies. From the moment you are greeted until the moment you depart, expect the same exceptional service from their highly trained staff as the other concepts in the restaurant family.

Lenox Square Grill seats over 300 guests, including extensive outdoor patio seating and private dining and meetings rooms. The private rooms can accommodate up to 150 guests, as well as a private bar. The rooms are perfect for an early morning breakfast meeting, afternoon lunch, or dinner meeting. The banquet rooms are also great for holiday parties, wedding receptions, business gatherings and luncheons.
The interior décor and ambiance is similar to that of sister concepts Joey D's Oak Room and Tavern at Phipps. As guests enter through the main entrance they are greeted by an open, spacious bar with high ceilings. There are modern mirrors, classic black and white photos, and dark stained wood throughout, with an open show kitchen. Lenox Square Grill has an inviting bar, and the dining area is furnished with large horseshoe booths and tables draped with white table cloths. Expect it to be classic, casual and comfortable at Lenox Square Grill.

About CentraArchy Restaurant Management
CentraArchy is a multi-concept restaurant company that operates nineteen locations under nine brands: California Dreaming, Joey D's Oak Room, Tavern at Phipps, New York Prime, Gulfstream Café, Carolina Roadhouse, Fiesta del Burro Loco, Frank Manzetti's Tavern, and Chophouse '47. The menus focus on fresh ingredients with a homemade touch in spectacular open kitchens. The restaurants appeal to both casual-dining and fine-dining guests by offering high-quality food and exceptional
service by highly trained staff. For more information, visit http://www.centraarchy.com/.

Original Posting: September 16, 2009
Georgia Restaurant Association, by admin

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Teela Taqueria Opens in City Walk of Sandy Springs


Located at City Walk of Sandy Springs, 227 Sandy Springs Place, Sandy Springs 30328, Teela Taqueria features an eclectic menu of international favorites and regionally-inspired creations. The a la carte menu allows patrons to mix and mingle, choosing from the more traditional enchiladas and quesadillas, as well as exotic items like Bang Bang Shrimp tacos, Bacon-Stuffed Chorizo taco and Fried Green Tomato BLT taco. A global influence can also be found at Teela Taqueria's bar, which boasts a list of wine and cocktails from around the world. Teela Taqueria will be open seven days a week, serving lunch and dinner Sunday through Thursday from 11am to 10pm, and Friday and Saturday from 11am to 11:30pm.

Teela Taqueria is the brainchild of brother and sister team Nik Panagopoulos and Artemis “Arte” Antoniades. The two originally founded Atlanta favorite Fishmonger Seafood Grill together in 1999 and have since moved on from Fishmonger to create the more wallet-friendly Teela Taqueria.

“We are thrilled to be back in Sandy Springs. The locals are great and we look forward to serving the neighborhood that gave us our previous success. Our guests can expect the same outstanding service they came to know and love at Fishmonger,” said Panagopoulos.

Raised in Zimbabwe with a Greek heritage, Panagopoulos' appetite to become a restaurateur was inspired at an early age, as he observed his mother's techniques in the kitchen while studying his father's successes in opening themed hotels and restaurants around the world. He developed his palate for international cuisine early, traveling extensively and living in South Africa, Greece and the United Kingdom.

Arte Antoniades is an accomplished businesswoman with a background in finance and nearly a decade of ownership and management experience in the restaurant industry. She opened her first restaurant in 1995, after relocating to Atlanta from South Africa, and has since owned several successful businesses in the area, including co-owning Fishmonger with Nik from August 1999 – March 2008.

For more information on Teela Taqueria, please call (404) 459-0477.

Original posting: May 1, 2009
Atlanta Daybook, by Lilian M Raji

Ri Ra Authentic Irish Pub To Open In Midtown


Restauranteurs and Irish natives David Kelly and Ciaran Sheehan are bringing their latest masterpiece, an authentic Irish pub called Ri Ra, to Midtown.

Ri Ra is an Irish phrase that translates as "Celebration and Good Fun", and that's exactly what Kelly and Sheehan are seeking to provide for Atlantans. The new pub, built from the remains of Irish pubs that have been restored, disassembled, shipped to Atlanta and re-constructed under Sheehan's watchful eye, will offer various nightly specials and live events, including Tuesday Pub Quiz trivia nights, Wednesday "jam sessions", where locals will be invited to play Irish music, live acoustic music on Thursday nights and live bands on Fridays and Saturdays at 10 pm. Ri Ra will also have a private party room, called Ri Ra Beag (literally "Small Ri Ra") that will be designed as a mini Irish pub of its own.

The staff of Ri Ra is particularly excited about their menu, which will be a step above traditional pub fare and will feature traditional Irish and regional favorites with contemporary twists. Highlights include Irish soda bread baked fresh in-house daily, Pan Seared Potato Cakes served with balsamic reduction and sour cream, the Guinness BBQ Burger with the restaurant's signature Guinness BBQ sauce, melted cheddar cheese, and onion rings, and Ri Ra's signature Reuben sandwich with Boar's Head corned beef or turkey, crisp sauerkraut, melted Swiss cheese and Marie Rose sauce on grilled rye. The menu will also please those looking for dishes with unchanged traditional Irish flavor with Fish and Chips, Shepherd's Pie, Corned Beef and Cabbage, Irish Boxty (a scallion and potato pancake available with smoked salmon, capers, mushrooms, red onion, and traditional parsley sauce), Beef and Guinness Stew, and the Traditional Irish Breakfast of eggs, bangers (sausages), rashers (bacon), pudding, grilled tomato, and Ri Ra beans.

Ri Ra plans to make its debut in Mid-July at 1080 Peachtree Street at the intersection of 12th Street and Crescent Avenue. The restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner seven days a week. Lunch will run from 11 am-4 pm, and dinner will be served Sunday through Thursday from 4 - 10 pm, Friday and Saturday from 4 until 11 pm. Ri Ra's bar will be open until 12 am Monday through Wednesday, until 1 am on Thursday, until 2:30 am on Friday and Saturday, and until 11 pm on Sundays. The restaurant will also offer a special "Happy Hour" menu Monday through Friday from 4 until 7 pm, and Brunch on weekends from 11 am - 4 pm on Saturday and 10 am - 4 pm on Sunday.

For more information, please visit www.RiRa.com.

Original Posting: June 10, 2009
Atlanta Intown Blog

Healthy Fast Food Chain, Evos, Opening Restaurants in Atlanta


Tampa, FL-based Evos is a quick service restaurant chain established in 1994 that bills itself as the "healthy" fast food chain. Serving burgers, french fries (known as "Airfries" at Evos), sandwiches, salads, shakes, and kids foods, Evos uses organic and low-fat ingredients. It now has four locations in the Tampa area, one in California, one in North Carolina, and one in Atlanta.

The Atlanta restaurant, located in Sembler Company's Prado lifestyle center in Sandy Springs, opened in June. A second is scheduled to open this August in the Viewpoint mixed-use project in Atlanta's Midtown. Jimmy Davis at Colliers Spectrum Cable represented Evos in selecting the sites for these stores and the company plans to open two more restaurants later this year.

Healthy Fast Food Inc. is the designated EVOS franchisor for AZ, CA, CO, KS, NV, NM, OH, OK, OR, TX, UT and WA. The company opened its second Las Vegas area restaurant in Summerlin, NV in December 2008. The other Las Vegas area location is in Henderson, NV.

At the end of 2008, EVOS said it had signed area rep and franchise agreements in 15 states to open more than 200 stores over 10 years.

Evos offsets one-third of its restaurant energy usage with renewable wind energy. Additionally, the company purchases Energy Star qualified commercial equipment and uses highly-efficient lighting with an automatic light switch system. To build its stores, Evos incorporates environmentally sustainable materials including zero VOC paints and adhesives; recycled wood panels made of pressed sorghum plant stalks; and eco-friendly flooring materials made from renewable natural raw materials like wood flour, linseed oil, rosin, jute fiber and limestone.

Original Posting: July 7, 2009
CoStar Group By Sasha M Pardy